Tent.



No. BQUJUZ. I Patented Dec. 3|, l90l.

S. R. HUMMER, JR.

TENT

(Application filed Apr. 7, 1898.)

(R0 Model.)

llllllllllll/lllla WlZ/mmwf UNTTnn STATES PATENT Orricn.

SAMUEL R. DUMMER, JR, OF BROOKLYN, NElV YORK.

TENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 690,102, dated December 31, 1901.

Application filed April 7, 1398. Serial No. 676,727. (No model.)

To all 1071 0721, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL R. DUMMER, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tents, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the drawings accompanying and forming a part of the same.

The present invention relates to improvements in tents, and particularly to that class of tents known as the Sibley tent, in which a conical-shaped canvas covering is attached to a laterally-extending ring located near the upper end of a central vertical pole, Whose lower end rests in a socket formed at the apex of a tripod or other skeleton support, whose feet are stepped on the ground. The conical canvas covering is stretched and held in place by a series of guys attached at one of their ends to the conical covering where it joins the upright wall of the tent, while their other ends are secured to pegs driven in the ground. The tripod which sustains the weight of the pole and covering of the tent in order to combine strength with lightness is generally made of plate iron or steel, the legs being preferably curved in cross-section and their upper ends pivoted in eyes formed on the wall of the socket which receives the lower end of the pole. In pitching these tents it is the practice to plant the feet of the tripod upon the ground at the desired distances apart and then to stretch and secure the canvas covering by means of the guys and pegs. A serious defect in tents of this class when constructed and used as above described arises from the fact that the ground on which the tripod rests is frequently of unequal hardness or consistency and the weight of the tent will. force one of the legs of the tripod into the ground to a greater extent than the others, thereby throwing the central pole out of its upright position and bringing the weight of the tent to bear unequally upon the tripodlegs, which causes the tent to twist or weave and breaks the legs from their attachment to the upper part of the tripod. This defect is especially operative when the guys are shortened by the action of rain or dew, the eifect often being to force one of the legs down into the softer ground and raise up the other legs, thereby throwing the pole out of its Vertical position and causing the tent to twist around the shorter leg, breaking it from its attachment and permitting the tent to fall. Frequently, also, the unequal strain upon the guys on one side of the tent pulls their pegs out of the ground and permits the pole to leave its upright position, thereby throwing an excess of Weight upon one of the tripodlegs and increasing the liability of collapse. A further defect in tents of this kind is the lack of proper ventilation when the hood or bonnet of the tent is closed. The bonnet forms the extreme top of the tent and consists of a short conical piece of canvas secured to a pin projecting from the top of the pole and having its lower or free edge extending slightly below the upper edge of the main canvas covering, this lower edge being held in close contact with the main covering. This construction affords no space either for the admission of fresh air between the lower edge of the bonnet and the upper edge of the main covering or for the emission of foul air or smoke from the tent.

It is the object of my improvement to rem edy these defects by providing a light movable but substantially unyielding foundation or base having steps in which the feet of the tripod are placed and at the same time to make this base of easily-separable pieces which can be packed into small compass for convenience in transportation and which when separated can be readily and quickly united to form a firm and substantial base and also to provide means for arranging the bonnet of the tent in such relation to the main covering thereof that a ventilating-space between the two will be provided when the bonnet is closed.

Myinvention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the base with the supporting-tripod in position, a portion of the base being broken away to show one of the steps in cross-section. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same parts. Fig. 3 are detailed views of the removably-united pieces to show the hinge. Fig. 4 is a View in perspective of my improved tent-peg. Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the top of the tent, showing the bonnet and the top of the main covering with devices for supporting them and the relative arrangementof these parts. Fig. 6 is a'plan or top view of the devices for supporting the bonnet and the main covering.

By reference to the drawings the base or foundation of the tent when arranged for use is made up of three pieces A and three pieces B, united to form an equilateral triangle, with an open central space 0. The pieces A, which are preferably duplicates of each other, form the vertices of the triangle and are interchangeable, and the pieces B, which are also preferably duplicates, form the sides or intermediate parts between the vertices and are also interchangeable. The pieces may be of any suitable material of the desired strength and toughness, as oak boards of a single thickness, or, for greater strength and durability, of double thickness arranged with crossed grains and riveted or otherwise secured together.

Each of the pieces A is provided with a step D, having several sockets or notches E, in which the feet of the tripod can rest. These steps are preferably cast of iron, steel, or other suitable metal and are sunk flush with the upper surface of the base and secured in place by strong screws or bolts.

The several pieces A and B are preferably removably united by means of open hinges F, constructed as shown in Fig. 3, the open parts of the hinges being secured to the pieces B, which enables the edges of the contiguous pieces to fit closely and form a tight butt-joint when in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and also enables the contiguous pieces to be readily separated from each other by turning the pieces A up at the proper angle to the pieces B, so that the hooks G can be withdrawn from the openings H.

It is readily seen that when the several pieces are separated from each other they can be closely packed for transportation or storage; also, as the pieces A are duplicates any one can be taken at random to form any one of the vertices of the triangular base, and, further, as the pieces B are duplicates and the open parts of the connecting-hinges are fixed to these pieces they are not only interchangeable, but either end of any of them is fitted to be united to any one of the pieces A, thus greatly facilitating the work of forming the base. The length of the sides of the triangle which forms the base may be varied to conform to the size of the tent; but for tents ofthe standard size the sides should be about three and one-half to four feet long.

The upper ends of the tripod-legs J are pivotally secured in recesses formed upon the external wall of the socket L, which receives and supports the lower end of the pole P, whereby the legs can be easily swung outwardly or inwardly to bring their feet into the desired position, or they can be swung up against the body of the pole for convenience in packing and transportation.

The tent-pegs especially adapted for use in connection with the tripod-support consist mainly in the addition of a resisting wing or bearing to the peg of the usual construction, as seen in Fig. 4, having a head portion Q to receive the blows of the hammer, a notch q to receive the guy,'and a shank portion g, which is driven into the ground. I provide such peg with a wing R, secured between its head and shank and projecting in a lateral direction, so that when the pegis driven into the ground the bottom or base r of this wing will afford a bearing .for a considerable distance from the main body of the peg and will largely receive and resist the strain of the guy and prevent the peg from being pulled or torn from the ground. The wingR is con? veniently and cheaply made from a single piece of sheet metal properly struck up and shaped, and is secured in place by slipping its edges over the body of the peg and securing it thereto by rivets or other means, as seen in Fig. 4. The wing thus constructed is hollow or open at its top edge with an upward opening and does not add very materially to the weight of the peg, but renders it especially elfective when the tent is pitched upon sandy or moist ground.

The feature of my improvement relating to the top of the tentfor the purposes of ventilation is shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and con sists of the relative arrangement of the bonnet S and the upper end or edge of the main conical covering T and the means by which they are supported and retained in position so as to form an open space for ventilation. U and V represent two concentric metal rings connected by inclined cross-braces W, leaving an open space of considerable width between the rings. These combined rings are suspended by chains d, attached to the outer ring V at one of their ends and to a plate X at their other ends, the plate X being provided with a central hole a, which is slipped over pin 1), projecting from top of pole Pand rests upon shoulder a. The main covering T is secured at its upper edge to the inner ring U in any desirable way, and the bonnet Sis provided with an eyelet in its middle part, which is slipped over the tapered top of the pin b, and the body of the bonnet is brought down over the chains (1, with its lower edge extending over and slightly below the outerring V, all as seen in Fig. 5, in which position it is retained by guys attached to its lower edge and secured to the ground. This construction and arrangement provides that the edge of the bonnet shall overhang the upper edge of the main covering, and thus prevent the rain from beating in, and also that there shall be an open annular space between the lower edge of the bonnet and the upper edge of the main covering for ventilating purposes.

In pitching a tent provided with my improvements it is only necessary to seek out or form an even surface, either level or inclined, of the proper size and shape to receive the base, on which the base is placed, and then to raise the tripod with the bottom of the tent-pole in its socket, the pole carrying the canvas coverings secured to its top, and

then to insert the tripod-feet in the notches or sockets of the steps in the pieces A of the base, adjusting them in the several notches of the different steps so as to bring the pole into an upright position irrespective of the inclination of the ground on which the base rests. The base forms a solid and substantial foundation for the tripod, and the several notches in the steps furnish an easy adjustment Within a limited range for varying the height of the different legs to compensate for the inclination of the ground on which the base rests. When this has been done, the canvas covering is properly stretched and secured in position by means of the guys and their retaining-pegs. It retaining'pegs of proper construction to withstand the strain of the guys induced by violent winds or by the shortening of the guys when wet are used in connection with my improved base or foundation, the liability of serious disarrangement or collapse of the tent under any ordinary conditions of use will be overcome.

What is claimed as new is 1. A tent -supporting base of triangular shape, having its vertices removably hinged to the intermediate parts and provided with steps to receive the feet of a central po1e-support, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A tent supporting base composed of three interchangeable pieces, as A, provided with steps to receive the feet of a central polesupport, and three interchangeable pieces, as B, and means for removably uniting the several pieces together, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A tent supporting base composed of three interchangeable pieces, as A, provided with steps to receive the feet of a central polesupporting tripod, and three interchangeable pieces, as B, and loose or open hinges for uniting the pieces A to the pieces B, substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a conical-shaped tent provided with a centrally=supporting pole, the combination with two concentric rings, as U and V, crossbraces, as WV, uniting the rings, and means for suspending the rings from the pole, of a bonnet, as S, whose lower edge is arranged to overhang the outer ring, and a main cover ing, as '1, whose upper edge is secured to the inner ring, substantially as and for the pur= pose set forth.

SAMUEL R. DUMMER, JR;

\Vitnesses:

H. O. DUMMER, RAPHAEL NETTER. 

